For Release: February 10, 1997
5 p.m. (ET)
Contact:Carolyn Kolbaba, 847/981-7945
Lori OKeefe, 847/981-7084
Leslee Williams, 847/981-7131
Surgery Unnecessary to Treat Flat Head
Below is a highlight of a study published in the February issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive the full text of this study, please e-mail the division of public relations at [email protected] and ask for W180-97.
SURGERY UNNECESSARY TO TREAT MOST CASES OF POSITIONAL HEAD-FLATTENING
CHICAGO--The vast majority of children with a flattened back or side of the head can be treated effectively by nonsurgical means, such as a helmet, and by alternating infant head position during sleep. This news comes from a study published in the February issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The studys authors, from Childrens Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa., studied 71 children who had posterior plagiocephaly, a condition in which the back or side of the head is misshapen. The authors found that 69 of the infants heads were flattened due to molding from too much time spent lying on that part of the head. The other two infants in the study suffered from true synostosis, which occurs when the skulls normal growth sites (called sutures) close prematurely.
"In view of the recent trend toward supine (back) positioning for infants to minimize the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)," the authors say, "it is apparent that parents must be carefully instructed to alternate positioning from one side to the other" to avoid flattening the back or one side of the infants head. The authors also caution that positional flattening must be distinguished from true synostosis, which generally requires surgical treatment by a trained pediatric neurosurgeon. Deformities of the front of the head are usually due to true synostosis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents put infants to sleep on their backs to minimize the risk of SIDS, while making sure the infants get plenty of "tummy time" when awake.
EDITORS NOTE: This study was published in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 51,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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